[Impact of abdominal ultrasound on the identification of the site of infection in the emergency department - Analysis whether it makes sense to perform abdominal ultrasound examination for the identfication of the site of infection if medical history and clinical examination do not indicate an abdominal focus.].

 A very high number of patients presenting in emergency departments suffer from an unknown infection or rather fever. If diagnostic imaging is necessary ultrasound can be performed. Whether ultrasound is superior to medical history and clinical examination considering the significantly enhanced technology in recent years and hence has to be performed in patients without abdominal symptoms with non-obvious focus cannot be answered by review of the literature.

[Severe infections : causes and management of sepsis].

The sepsis syndrome has only recently been defined as a clinical syndrome but despite its unspecific definition it has evolved rapidly into an important concept. Although specific therapeutic interventions targeting the inflammatory pathway have not yet been effective in treating sepsis, a better understanding of mechanisms leading to organ dysfunction has led to better management of patients with sepsis. Clinical signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis are hallmarks for the definition of severe infections.

Pandemic and post-pandemic influenza A (H1N1) seasons in a tertiary care university hospital-high rate of complications compared to previous influenza seasons.

Introduction: The aim was to study the characteristics and case severity of patients hospitalized for influenza with a pandemic strain at a German tertiary care university hospital in 2009/10 and 2010/11 and to compare them to two previous influenza seasons.

Methods: An observational study of all patients hospitalized for laboratory-confirmed influenza during the last four influenza seasons at Regensburg University Hospital was undertaken.

Results: During the last four seasons, a rising number of patients were admitted due to influenza (4 in 2007/8, 16 in 2008/9, 27 in 2009/10, and 55 in 2010/11).